A Safe Haven
by AmaranthPrincess21
Summary: Chat Noir has run away from home and the only place he can think of to stay is Marinette's.


He knew this wasn't okay. He _knew_ this was putting Marinette in a difficult position. And he would apologize; he was planning on apologizing profusely. But he needed somewhere to spend the night and he couldn't go to Nino's. He'd go to Ladybug's home, but he had no idea who she was and thus that plan wouldn't work. Marinette's house was the only place he could go right now. Transformed into Chat Noir, Adrien leaped rooftop to rooftop as he fled his home. To be frank, he was sick and tired of the toxicity that had seeped into the Agreste Mansion. He wasn't sure when he was going to return home, but right now he needed somewhere safe to spend the night.

Through the open windows of Marinette's room, he could hear melancholy music. Good. She was still awake. He scaled the walls of the bakery, clawing his way onto Marinette's balcony. _I hope I don't scare her,_ he thought. He could see her lying in bed, a book in her hands. He tapped on the glass. She flinched and looked up at him. Adrien felt guilty at the shock on her face. He couldn't blame her; seeing Chat Noir on her balcony looking down at her was no doubt shocking. She threw the covers off of herself and stood up, unlocking the trap door's latch and pushing the glass up.

"Thank you, princess," he said, dropping onto her bed and quickly moving to the floor. Getting dirt from his shoes on her blankets was no way to thank her.

"What are you doing here, Chat Noir? I . . . Has Ladybug sent you?" she asked.

"No, she didn't. I've come on my own. I'm sorry I'm coming so late. I hope I'm not interrupting anything," he said, grabbing her hand and kissing the back of it.

"No, you're not. Is something wrong?"

"I . . . well, yes. I know this is a huge favor to ask of you, but I need somewhere to sleep tonight," he said. Her eyebrow quirked as she gave him a curious look.

"Why?" was all she said. A painful, dry ache shot through Adrien's throat as he tried to think of the words to say. What was he supposed to tell her? The truth, obviously, but how would he say it? Admit his father neglected him and he was fed up? Admit he couldn't take the fame, the restrictive life, the stress anymore? Admit he was giving up? But he couldn't lie to Marinette. Possibilities swirled in his mind and Adrien had never felt so lost before. Marinette was patient, eyes fixated on him. She sat back down on her bed and motioned for him to sit with her.

"I, er. My home life isn't great and I just needed to get out of there tonight." There. That wasn't a lie and it didn't dump his whole life story onto her. Her face softened and her hands reached out to hold his.

"I'm so sorry. You can stay the night, but we have to make sure my parents don't see you," she said. He let out of sigh of relief. Tonight he'd get to have a roof over his head. She stood up and went down the small staircase leading to the main floor of her room. "You can sleep on the chaise for now."

"Thank you, princess. I can't stress enough how much this means to me," he told her.

"Don't mention it," she waved it away. "Here's some blankets and an eyemask in case your transformation wears off but you want to keep your identity secret." She was too wonderful. She was too kind and the fact she was letting him spend the night and keeping him off the streets was enough to make him want to cry. He pulled her into a hug, arms holding her tight. If she was surprised, she didn't show it. She rested her hands against his back and holding him. Adrien could feel her heart beat steadily and the warmth of her body seeped through his clothes into his skin. He hadn't had a real hug since his mother disappeared. Right now, her arms felt like home.

"I can't thank you enough," he said quietly into her hair.

"Hey, it's okay. It's going to be okay." She leaned back, looking up at him. "Just sleep well tonight, okay?

"Okay." She let go and went back up to her bed. "Good night, Chat Noir."

"Good night, Marinette." He pulled the eye mask on before burrowing into the blankets on the chaise. He didn't know where he was going to go from here, but for now, he was safe.

Marinette woke up the next morning and he was gone. The blankets on the chaise had been neatly folded and against the pillow there lay a bouquet of pink roses.

"Do you think he ran off to fight an akuma?" Marinette wondered, walking over the the flowers.

"I don't think so. Wouldn't he have told you to stay safe if that was the case?" Tikki pointed out.

"That's true." Marinette pulled a flower from the bouquet and broke the stem in half to put the rose behind her ear. She wished he had said goodbye before leaving. Sure, she would see him later as Ladybug, but she wanted to make sure he had somewhere safe to go outside of her house. Perhaps she would ask him about it later, saying she had told Ladybug about it.

And maybe if she saw him as Marinette, she would invite him to stay a few more nights. Roses and good nights hugs certainly weren't a bad price to pay to share her room with a cocky superhero.


End file.
